Nature's Umbrella

Broccoli could be sprouting up in your anti-aging regimen. Applying a smear of an extract found in broccoli sprouts to skin reduced inflammation and redness--key measures of future skin cancer risk--by nearly 40%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The compound, rich in the antioxidant sulforaphane, activates skin's own cancer-fighting ability by boosting production of protective enzymes. Once stimulated, the mechanism works for days, long after the extract is washed away, says lead researcher Paul Talalay, MD, a professor of pharmacol-ogy and molecular sciences. Keep an eye out for topical broccoli-based sun-protective products, which are in development.